Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
April 6, 2005, Wednesday
RUSSIAN BASE SCANDAL FORCES KOCHARYAN TO VISIT TBILISI
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 4, 2005, p. 3
by Yuri Simonyan
Mass protests by Armenians in Javakheti (southern Georgia) against
withdrawal of the 62nd Russian military base at Akhalkalakhi have
suddenly raised this problem to the presidential level. On returning
from Astana last Friday, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili left
for Tbilisi Airport within a couple of hours to meet President Robert
Kocharyan of Armenia, arriving for an urgent two-day visit at
Saakashvili’s invitation.
As expected, the problems of Javakheti, where Armenians make up the
overwhelming majority of the population, became a significant subject
at the talks. The situation has escalated to a noticeable degree of
tension there over past several days. Demonstrations have been
happening in Akhalkalaki since March, at which in addition to social
claims the residents are making a political demand: hands off the
Russian military base stationed in this town. Georgian President
Mikhail Saakashvili has called for order, but his promises to find
jobs for all local residents after the Russian base is shut down
failed to have the required effect.
This was when Saakashvili decided to seek ways of solving the problem
together with the Armenian president. Yerevan’s stance on Russia’s
military presence in Georgia is clear: Robert Kocharyan reconfirmed
it at Gudauri by saying that the issue of withdrawing the Russian
military base from Akhalkalaki is “a domestic affair of Georgia.”
Commenting on the talks, Nino Burjanadze, chairwoman of the Georgian
parliament noted that Tbilisi “is satisfied with position of the
Armenian officials, primarily President Robert Kocharyan, concerning
the Russian base located in Akhalkalaki.” Burjanadze told
journalists: “The Armenian president unambiguously stated that this
is Georgia’s domestic affair; that Georgia must make its own
independent decision, and Armenia will refrain from any comments on
the subject.”
Parliamentarian Van Baiburt, a leader of the Armenian diaspora,
regards Kocharyan’s visit as a positive and timely measure. He urged
everyone to refrain from over-dramatizing the meetings in
Akhalkalaki. Baiburt said: “The people’s protests must be primarily
regarded as an attempt of drawing attention of the authorities to the
hard social conditions. The demand to leave the Russian military base
in Akhalkalaki, since it provides jobs, must be considered in the
framework of this very context, outside the political sphere.” At the
same time, Baiburt maintains that emotions are being artificially
exaggerated in Akhalkalaki. Baiburt told us: “It is entirely clear
that somebody is interested in having Georgian citizens of Armenian
origin in Javakheti be so active. Evidently, servicemen of the 62nd
Military Base are inciting the developments in Akhalkalaki. It is
also obvious that these problems are not being solved in Akhalkalaki
and the Russian military is trying to turn Armenians residing
Javakheti into a fifth column against Georgia.”
Simultaneously, similar rallies in favor of immunity of the Russian
military base were held in Batumi the other day. This protest was
arranged by the United Communist Party of Georgia, led by Panteleimon
Geogradze – the father of runaway former chief of the State Security
Igor Georgadze. This political organization, which was likely to be
forgotten, arranged a picturesque procession with Soviet flags and
the green-white-red tricolor of the Justice Party, and portraits of
Igor Georgadze, who founded it from abroad, and Joseph Stalin.
Translated by Andrei Ryabochkin
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress